Results 1-20 of 11,899 for speaker:Niall Collins

Criminal Justice (Promotion of Restorative Justice) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy very much for his contribution. I know he has a great interest in this area. He has partaken in discussions on youth diversion before. At the core of our democratic model is the idea that no policy or proposal is above criticism and that the exchange of ideas that takes place here ensures that new policy and legislation reflects the needs of our people. With that in...

Criminal Justice (Promotion of Restorative Justice) (Amendment) Bill 2023: Second Stage [Private Members] (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I am happy to address Dáil Éireann on the final piece of business for this term. I thank the two Deputies who we have just heard from and also to acknowledge former Deputy, Patricia Ryan. All three were involved in introducing this Private Member's Bill in December 2023. The Bill addresses a topical issue in the administration of a fair system of justice and one which has the...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Animal Welfare (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this matter with respect to dog breeding establishments and the number of exports internationally. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has asked me to take this matter on his behalf. The Dog Breeding Establishments Act provides a regulatory framework for the licensing, monitoring and inspection of dog breeding establishments by local...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Animal Welfare (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I absolutely agree with the Deputy that more needs to be done in this area. The whole area of dog breeding is a huge industry at the moment. The 2019 Act was a very progressive start but we must revisit it and probably update it. I have always been a huge advocate of animal welfare. We must always strive to continue to do more to promote a better culture of animal welfare, whether it is...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this important matter. Addressing waiting lists is a high priority for the Government and substantial investment has been made to address waiting lists across a range of acute and community health services. A previous review of audiology services, published by the Health Service Executive in 2011 as the national...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Disability Services (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: If the Deputy passes on the details to me, I will absolutely convey them to the Minister for Health and the HSE. I will also be conveying to the Minister and the HSE the urgency the Deputy has articulated. As I outlined in my initial contribution, the HSE has partaken in a process as to how it intends to address this issue. It is at a cross-roads now in terms of coming out of a tender...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: There is no doubt that when people get through the emergency department at UHL, the care and treatment they receive up the house and in their journey through UHL in the main is very good and very high quality.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: That needs to be acknowledged and put on the record. Very often, the political narrative around UHL dismisses the very fine work that is going on there at all levels by porters, nurses, doctors, senior house officers, consultants and those at administration level. Of course, there have been some very unfortunate high-profile individual cases which have been in the news. They should never...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I have outlined the significant investment and the significant progress that the Government has made over recent years, particularly since Fianna Fáil returned to government in 2020 by almost doubling the operational budget, increasing the workforce by well over 1,000 and increasing bed capacity. There has been a robust response. The Deputy said there has not been a robust response. I...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: Sorry, I have the floor. Sinn Féin describes the problem and provides a commentary on the problem, which is fine and we are all well able to do that. What would Sinn Féin do differently? How would it resource it differently?

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: Sinn Féin has never outlined a detailed proposal.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: It will not take An Coimisiún Pleanála two years to reach a decision on the second 96-unit block.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: The delivery time for decisions through An Coimisiún Pleanála has drastically fallen, thankfully.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I passed UHL recently; it is a massive building site.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: There is huge investment going on there.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: A lot has been done and I accept that more needs to be done. It is incumbent on everybody to point out the positives of it as well.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: There are challenges there, but there are plenty of positives.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Policy (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: As I stated at the outset, the provision of amenities and services is a core element of the plan-making process and is key to promoting the development of balanced and sustainable communities. Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out mandatory objectives which must be addressed by local authorities in their development plan, including objectives for the integration of...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Overcrowding (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank Deputy Quinlivan for giving me the opportunity to address the House on capacity at University Hospital Limerick and provide an update on measures that are being taken to alleviate overcrowding. Reducing emergency department overcrowding and reducing waiting lists is a priority for this Government. Many patients are still waiting too long for hospital appointments and treatments....

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Housing Policy (17 Jul 2025)

Niall Collins: I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I note he is raising it in conjunction with his two colleagues, who, unfortunately, are not here to partake. I recall that my Fianna Fáil colleague, the other TD in the area, Tom Brabazon, raised this issue at a Fianna Fáil party meeting recently when we were discussing the whole area of sustainable communities. In the first instance...